The Mandalorian and Grogu promises to be a fun adventure for its titular duo, but it could also set up some major changes for the child formerly known as Baby Yoda. At the very least, it’s continuing his development: he’ll likely be even stronger in the Force, he learns how to swim, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if we get his first word(s) in the movie. It’ll also double down on the bond between Grogu and Din Djarin, as evidenced by The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s new trailer, which includes Pedro Pascal unmasked.
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Amidst all of that, it could also return to an idea that The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett both toyed with, though ultimately moved away from: Grogu becoming a Mandalorian Jedi. There has only ever been one in Star Wars history, and that was around 1,000 years before this story, with Tarre Vizsla, who also created the Darksaber. The Mandalorian Season 2 set Grogu on this path when Luke Skywalker rescued the child, but it was undone in Boba Fett, with “Baby Yoda” choosing the Mandalorian beskar armor over the Jedi lightsaber. Still, that might not have been the end of it.
Grogu Could Still Become A Mandalorian Jedi
There has, technically speaking, never been a Star Wars movie without at least one Jedi or Sith (I say technically, given Maul had dropped that Darth moniker by the time of his Solo cameo). Could The Mandalorian and Grogu actually be the first? It’s definitely possible, and may even be the right move, but there’s enough in the trailer to suggest they will revisit the idea.
This includes a shot of Grogu seemingly meditating in the Force, while sitting on a planet that’s clearly designed to remind us of Dagobah, where the actual Yoda resided during the original trilogy. That planet was a vergence, meaning it had an unusually strong Force energy surrounding it, and it could even be that this new location is something similar. If Grogu is actively seeking to advance his Force abilities, it might mean he continues down a hybrid Jedi-Mandalorian path.
There’s no doubting that he’s very much Din’s son, even wearing what looks like beskar armor in the trailer (and, of course, looking rather adorable while doing so). But the harsh reality is that Mando isn’t always going to be around, which the trailer acknowledges: such is Grogu’s species that he could live for hundreds of years (Yoda was 900 years old when he died, after all), and so Din won’t always be around to protect him. That means Grogu will have to be able to protect himself, and learning the ways of the Jedi, as well as the Mandalorians, would be the perfect way to do that.
Given the character’s age, there’s no real rush with this storyline, but that also makes it easier to still pull it off. The child shouldn’t be expected to have decided his entire future already, and so if being a Jedi is something he later decides to explore, it could make perfect sense. It would also likely be a smart decision from a franchise point-of-view, given it’d open up more storytelling possibilities with Grogu. At Star Wars Celebration Japan last year, Dave Filoni was asked [via Screen Rant/Molly Brizzell] about Grogu and Sabine’s respective Jedi journeys, and whether the child could return to it, saying:
“The short answer is, sure, why not? Anything’s possible, true. They’re both very different, and their paths are very different. They’re arguably going in slightly different directions.”
That’s far from a yes, but it shows that the door is not closed on Grogu being a Jedi. While the ideal scenario would be that he spends as much time with Din as possible, the reality is that, at some point, Star Wars may break the pair up and even follow an older Grogu, at least if it were to take him into adulthood. At that point, if he’s using the Force and wearing Mandalorian armor, he’s going to be like a Mandalorian Jedi in all but name at the very least, but it’s possible they will make it official, whether that’s in The Mandalorian and Grogu or later down the line.
The Mandalorian and Grogu will be released in theaters on May 22nd, 2026.
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Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme
